[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 3 (Wednesday, January 6, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 511-512]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-33247]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

[167 A2100DD/AAKC001030/A0A501010.999900]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation's Proposed Trust Acquisition and 
Gaming Facility Project, DeKalb County, Illinois

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs (BIA) as lead agency, and the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation 
(Nation) as cooperating agency, intend to gather information necessary 
to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in connection with 
the Nation's application for the proposed acquisition in trust by the 
United States of approximately 129 acres for construction and operation 
of a gaming facility in DeKalb County, Illinois. This notice also opens 
public scoping to identify potential issues, concerns and alternatives 
to be considered in the EIS.

DATES: The date and location of the public meeting will be announced at 
least 15 days in advance through a notice in the Daily Chronicle and 
the Midweek and on the following Web site: www.prairiebandeis.com. 
Written comments on the DEIS must arrive within 45 days after EPA 
publishes its Notice of Availability.

ADDRESSES: You may mail or hand-deliver written comments to Diane 
Rosen, Regional Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Midwest Region, 
Norman Pointe II Building, 5600 W. American Blvd., Suite 500, 
Bloomington, Minnesota 55437. Please include your name, return address, 
and ``NOI Comments, Prairie Band Project'' on the first page of your 
written comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Doig, Acting Regional 
Environmental Scientist, at the address above, or at telephone (612) 
725-4514, email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Nation submitted a request to the 
Department of the Interior for the placement of approximately 129 acres 
of fee land in trust by the United States upon which the Nation would 
construct a class II gaming facility. The property is located in DeKalb 
County just southeast of the town of Shabbona, IL. The gaming facility 
would consist of a class II gaming area, restaurants and lounges, a 
multi-purpose room that could be used for entertainment, meetings, and 
other purposes, and surface parking for cars and buses. The property is 
comprised of two parcels: an approximately 128-acre parcel currently 
used for farming (Parcel ID Index 13-23-200-001), on which the gaming 
facility would be built, and a 30,020 square foot parcel on which a 
house sits (Parcel ID Index 13-23-128-002). The purpose of the proposed 
action is to acquire land in trust that was historically reserved for 
Chief Shab-eh-nay and his Band of Potawatomis by treaty, and to 
facilitate economic development so that the Tribal government can 
better provide housing, health care, education, cultural

[[Page 512]]

programs, and other services to its members.
    The proposed action encompasses the various Federal approvals which 
may be required to implement the Tribe's proposed economic development 
project, including approval of the Nation's fee-to-trust application. 
The EIS will identify and evaluate issues related to these approvals, 
and will also evaluate a range of reasonable alternatives, including a 
no action alternative. Other possible alternatives currently under 
consideration are a reduced-intensity gaming facility alternative, an 
alternate-use (non-gaming) alternative and an off-site alternative. The 
range of issues and alternatives may be revised based on comments 
received during the scoping process.
    Areas of environmental concern preliminarily identified for 
analysis in the EIS include land resources; water resources; air 
quality; noise; biological resources; cultural/historical/
archaeological resources; resource use patterns; traffic and 
transportation; public health and safety; hazardous materials and 
hazardous wastes; public services and utilities; socioeconomics; 
environmental justice; visual resources/aesthetics; and cumulative, 
indirect, and growth-inducing effects. Additional information, 
including a map of the project site, is available by contacting the 
person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION section of this notice.
    Public Comment Availability: Comments, including names and 
addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the 
BIA address shown in the ADDRESSES section, during regular business 
hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. 
Before including your address, telephone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask in your comment that your personal identifying information be 
withheld from public review, the BIA cannot guarantee that this will 
occur.
    Authority: This notice is published in accordance with sections 
1503.1 and 1506.6 of the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations 
(40 CFR parts 1500 through 1508) implementing the procedural 
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as 
amended (42 U.S.C. 4321-4345 et seq.), and the Department of the 
Interior National Environmental Policy Act Regulations (43 CFR part 
46), and is in the exercise of authority delegated to the Assistant 
Secretary--Indian Affairs by 209 DM 8.

    Dated: December 21, 2015.
Kevin K. Washburn,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2015-33247 Filed 1-5-16; 8:45 am]
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